Taking that Long Road
by Blaquediamond Princess
Summary: It's that big day, Ichigo and Orihime are finally getting married, but things don't really go the way they originally planned for them to go... Especially when other people keep messing with the plans! Don't read if you hate weddings!
1. Chapter 1

**_Taking that Long Road_** **_(1/2)_**

* * *

The day dawned, bright and full of promises.

A soft knock on her door announced its beginning. She grinned to herself and buried her nose deeper into the covers, the excitement and craziness from last night now changing into slight nervousness.

The door to the suite opened and she smirked when she heard them whispering to themselves thinking her to still be asleep.

"Ori-hi-me! Wakey wakey, the big day is finally here!"

The bed dipped on both sides of her and she couldn't keep the giggle the bubbled up her throat when the covers were pulled off her face to reveal Rangiku and Rukia laughing at her.

"No… you guys…! I'm so hung over!"

Rangiku smirked, "We have a lot of stuff to do today, so come on, out of bed!"

Orihime lay back onto her pillows and sighed with a pout. "I don't want to get out of bed… My head is still spinning and I forbid you to be so chipper and loud this early!"

Rukia reached out to her face and pulled back a strand of her hair behind an ear, laughing. "Are you nervous?"

Nervous was understatement.

"Rukia, I have no idea what I'm going to wear, what my hair is going to look like or what I'm supposed to expect! I'm this close to panicking!"

Rukia nodded understandingly and then turned to Rangiku. "Maybe another bottle of Jack will help ease her a bit?"

Orihime grabbed a nearby pillow and whacked her over the head with it. "Rukia!"

"That's why you shouldn't worry!" Rangiku quipped cheerfully, "We're taking care of everything, trust us!"

Rukia nodded, laughing, "And about your dress, Lurichiyo should arrive any minute with it!"

That thought only aspired some apprehension in Orihime. "You're both sure you've given her my right measurements?"

Both women nodded.

"And she knows I want a modern dress, right? Not a kimono?"

"Yes, yes!" Rukia chuckled.

Somehow it all just didn't sit right anymore. "Why did I agree to this again?"

"Because Lurichiyo wanted to give the dress as a gift to you and she wouldn't hear no for an answer?"

"Oh, right."

Everyone knows that it's pointless to change Lurichiyo's mind once it's made up.

"So are you getting out of bed or what? We have a lot of work to do!" Rangiku said, "Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs in the dressing room, Yuzu, Rukia and Tatsuki made it for you."

Orihime smiled, "I am kind of hungry…"

"Then let's go," Rukia pressed on gently. "And don't worry, we've got everything figured out, trust us."

Orihime smiled uneasily, but soon relaxed when she saw the confident expression on her friends' faces. She nodded and let them pull her out of bed.

_

* * *

Ichigo… Ichigo…_

Waking up in his interior world was always a weird experience because honestly, fighting the vertigo that came with gazing into the vast distance of his jacked up inner world always required for him to take a few moments so his other senses could catch up with his vision without his body emptying the contents of his stomach in the process.

The sound of flapping leather echoed behind him and Ichigo turned around to find the spirit of his sword standing behind him.

_I presume that congratulations are in order._

Ichigo turned slowly with a smirk. "Hey Old man."

_I wanted to give you my best wishes, Ichigo._

"Thank you so much…" Ichigo whispered back with a smile, though he looked more scared shitless than excited. Which Zangetsu easily picked up.

_What's wrong, Ichigo?_

"Ah… I'm just… maybe… Old man, what am I supposed to do? To help me calm down."

Zangetsu only stared at him, his expression blank. He then looked at the state of the inner world to contradict what his wielder just said. _You seem pretty calm to me._

"I mean, it goes without saying that this is what I want. I thought it'd be easy once I'd determined for myself that this was what I wanted—"

_You know how much I hate this solitary world, Ichigo. I'd give anything to have a companion in here all the time. You've found her, I know you have and therefore you know have too._

"Old man…"

_What have I taught you about fear? The same applies in this situation, Ichigo. Look forward and don't let it slow you down._

Zangetsu's words always managed to give him courage and hope and he smirked thankfully at the old man, looking at the task ahead with contentment instead of trepidation. "Thank you for your words, Old man!"

Zangetsu watched him go, a minim smile on his lips.

* * *

A pair of red-brownish eyes was staring at him when he opened his eyes.

"Get the fuck off me, man," Ichigo rasped, his throat feeling so dry. He could still smell the alcohol on his own breath. "Ugh…"

Renji chuckled and sat next to Ichigo on the bed. "Planning on spending the day in bed, dude?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and pushed himself out of bed. "What are you talking about, I'm up!"

"Nervous?"

"After the bachelor party you threw me last night? No, I think I can withstand anything now."

Renji grinned and stood in turn. "Perhaps watching Kira put a bill into Hisagi underwear with his teeth _three times _should've been indication enough that the party was starting to get out of control."

Ichigo snorted and ran a hand over his face, feeling like a truck ran him over. Twice. "No, ya think? I mean how drunk do you have to be to mistake another guy for one of the strippers? Oh God…"

Renji watched Ichigo bend over and putting his head between his legs with an amused smirk. "Do you have any idea how much liquor you drank?"

Ichigo groaned. "I don't think I want to know, I'm feeling it. How come you're not smashed?"

"Because I am a great best man," Renji replied, helping his friend up on his feet. "Come on, go wash your teeth with deodorant or something or I don't think there will be a wedding later on today."

Ichigo smirked and playfully punched Renji's shoulder. "Thank God the wedding is in the afternoon."

Renji nodded in agreement. "You missed breakfast, but most of us did anyway. You can still be in time for lunch if you hurry. And oh yeah, Yumichika has planned for the hairdresser and the dressers to be here at 2. That's in a little less than an hour and a half."

"Tell me again why I let that freak be my weddingplanner? Didn't I say I didn't want or need one? No one listened to a word I said! This thing has been blown way out of proportion already; it's insane! Half of Soul Society is going to be here! If it wasn't for all those people coming, we wouldn't need this huge-ass castle."

Renji walked over to the many gift baskets lying on the small table at the other end of the room. "What are you going on yappin' about? All of them want to be here. Urahara created a special Senkaimon to get all of the captain level Shinigamis here safely and this castle was just the most convenient place to hold a wedding of 100+ people because it's surrounded by a private park so unknowing humans can't trespass without getting noticed immediately by the patrolling squads on the grounds. Don't be upset because of it all; most of us have been looking forward to this for a while now and it comes with the necessary security protocols and stuff like that. And uh, as the groom, you don't really have any say in this wedding anyway."

Ichigo thought about it for a moment and had to admit that, although it was very sad, it was also very true. He didn't even get to choose what he was going to wear. He just hoped that he would look as good in white as Yumichika promised he would.

Putting on his bathrobe, Ichigo then shrugged and sighed. "That aside, I still would've been more than happy with a small celebration amongst close friends." He walked past Renji on his way the bathroom. "I didn't think it'd be such of a big deal to everyone. And I most definitely did not expect to be teleported all the way to England."

Renji turned to him, his mouth filled with assorted cheese. "Well, dad's Uahaha fo ya! And sdop sayin' id's nod a big dee, you'b maid many fwiends in dis wold and ouws."

Ichigo smirked amusedly at his best man, nodding once before entering the bathroom. He couldn't deny that he felt blessed to have so many willing souls present on the biggest day of his and Orihime's life.

* * *

A small fire was burning in the hearth of the girls' dressing room. All the bridesmaids; Rukia, Rangiku and Tatsuki as well as the junior bridesmaids Yuzu and Karin and Yachiru the flower girl were all waiting in their matching violet dresses for the hairdresser to finish up on Orihime's hair.

Yachiru was twirling around and around, giggling happily in her little white princess like dress. Her bright pink hair was done up in an elegant bun and a small tiara rested on her head. A violet sash with a big bow on her back was tied around her waist to match to other girls' attire. "I've never worn something so fun before!"

"You look very pretty, Yachiru-chan," Yuzu said with a smile from her spot in one of the comfortable chairs placed near the fireplace at the other end of the room.

"You ladies all look very pretty," Rangiku said, grinning and watching them from her seat on the couch in the middle of the room. Tatsuki and Rukia were sitting on another couch across from her on the other side of the coffee table. All except for Yachiru were wearing long violet dresses; with straps for the younger girls and strapless for the older ones. Although they were all the same color, each dress was unique when it came to its style. "There won't be a guy out there today who will be able to resist you!"

Both Yuzu and Karin blushed and Yachiru giggled on, now running towards the windows to look at the decorated park surrounding the castle they were in. They were putting up the party tent in the distance.

"Tatsuki-chan, can you hand me the mirror? I'd like to see…" Orihime whispered.

Tatsuki stood from where she sat next to Rukia and gathered her long dress. "You look absolutely breathtaking, Orihime," she said as she handed her the silver mirror.

"Thank you, Tatsuki-chan," she replied with a nervous smile. She took a breath and looked at herself. Loose curls now framed her heart shaped face and fell gracefully down her back. "It's beautiful, thank you so much for your work," she said to the young, male hairdresser.

"I'm going to check on the groom's hair now," he said, "Just send someone for me when you need me to help you with your tiara and veil."

Orihime nodded, "I will, thank you."

"Wasn't Lurichiyo-dono supposed to be here with the dresses already?" Rukia asked after the hairdresser had left, looking at her watch.

"Dresses?" Orihime echoed, standing up and taking a chicken sandwich from the nearby lunch table.

Rangiku nodded, "Yeah, she said she wanted to give you a wide range of choice."

"Orihime has to choose a dress too, who knows how long that's going to take?" Tatsuki said with a worried frown. "The wedding is in less than 2 hours!"

"No need to worry, it's alright for the bride to be fashionably late," Rangiku said with reassuring smile. She walked over to Orihime and grabbed a napkin from the table to wipe the smudge of mayonnaise from the side of the bride's mouth. "And besides I don't think it will come to that."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

Rukia stood and walked to the door, opening it. "Here she is!"

"We're so sorry that we're late!"

Rukia took her in her arms and hugged her tightly. "We were beginning to worry!"

"We had some troubles with the Senkaimon; for some reason we couldn't intercept Urahara's signal and get to the right place! It took us several tries before we finally got here," Kenryû explained apologetically. Enryû stood behind him, nodding.

"At any rate, we've got the dresses!" Lurichiyo stepped in further and greeted the other women in the room cordially before turning to Orihime. "Orihime. We're so happy for you!"

Orihime kneeled in front of her and smiled. "Lurichiyo-chan, I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate you doing this for me, I—"

The younger interrupted her with a held up finger; "You're going to marry the best man there is, you have to look irresistible so he has no choice but to take you as his wife! We're all here to see that happen, and for that you need the best dress you can put your hands on!"

"Whoa, that's a lot of dresses!" Tatsuki exclaimed as Ikkaku, Renji and Chad came in after Kenryû and Enryû, all carrying three to five dresses each. Hanatarou came as last and rolled a clothes rack in from which few types of veils were hanging. All twenty-two dresses were put on the rack, all of them varying in form, shape, length and width. Enryû also produced a large, black box from underneath the pile of dresses he'd been carrying and placed it on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"How come you guys aren't dressed yet?" Rukia asked Renji and Chad. "And where is Ishida?"

"I haven't seen Ishida, but I know that unlike you women, we don't need to take hours in front of a mirror to look jaw-droppingly good," Renji replied before jumping out of the way of Rukia's fist to keep it from connecting with his crotch.

"Ishida's downstairs with Yumichika arguing about the colors in the wedding room." Ikkaku answered with a shrug. "Apparently, some of the decorations have been done wrong."

"The decorations have been done wrong?" Orihime asked a tinge of panic in her voice. It had taken her many, many months to get the color coordination right and to have Yumichika agree on them.

Not an easy feat.

Renji shook his head reassuringly, "It's just some minor details, Orihime. They'll figure it out, don't worry."

"It all looked the way you drew it," Chad added with a smile. "Beautiful."

"Yes, Orihime-san, it's really beautiful, I promise!" Hanatarou said with a nod and a grin of his own. "I have some more work downstairs, so I'll be going!" He quickly ran to the door and disappeared a moment later.

Orihime took a breath and nodded. "Ok… I trust you guys, I can't worry about that now anyway…"

"That's right!" Rangiku said with an excited giggle, clapping in her hands. "We've got some dress fitting to do!"

"And we need to go help the groom get dressed," Renji smirked.

"Because he got totally wasted last night," Chad added with a chuckle.

"Ichigo got drunk?" Tatsuki laughed.

Orihime chuckled. "When this is over, I want pictures!"

"Same goes for you gals," Ikkaku grinned. "I heard some pretty heavy stuff about the party you had in your wing of the castle last night."

"We didn't do anything special," Rukia said with a shrug, glancing over at Rangiku with a mischievous smile and then over at the three younger girls, making sure they were at a save distance.

"Nope," Rangiku agreed, "Nothing special happened. Just some girl on girl action and some heavy drinking. I'll never look at Isane the same way ever again!"

"Captain Soifon surprised me too;" Rukia said, chuckling behind her hand, "Who knew she could move like that?"

"Oh, wasn't there a pole involved?" Tatsuki chimed in.

Orihime nodded, "That and I think Nel and I took a shower together too…"

Rukia snapped her fingers, remembering. "Yeah, but you guys were being loud though!"

All men were looking suspiciously flustered by then.

"And…uh… did you happen to take pictures?" Renji asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, or perhaps put on film? You know to remember it better?" Ikkaku wondered, rubbing his nose inconspicuously.

"That's the thing," Rangiku said with a regrettable expression on her face, "I dropped the camera on the bathroom floor just as I was to take a picture of one of those yummy strippers working Rukia in the shower and it broke."

Rukia burst in laughter when Renji gave her an appalled look. "Oh yeah, definitely the best night! Rangiku, Orihime, I want I party like that too for my bachelorette party!"

"Oh Hee~eel no!" Renji protested with a shake of his head.

All of them laughed and Rukia stood to kiss Renji on his lips to calm him. "I didn't let him touch me."

Renji pouted for a moment and then kissed her back. "Alright. I didn't let those strippers touch me either, even though they desperately wanted to."

Rukia smacked him over the head. "You could've omitted that last part. I didn't want to know that."

Everyone laughed again and by then it was really time for the boys to get going.

"Ladies," Renji said and looked at the three younger girls, "and by that I mean all you ladies, look absolutely beautiful." He winked at Rukia and chuckled when she blushed furiously in her strapless dress.

"But before I go, I have message from the groom to his bride," Renji grinned and pulled a red piece of paper out of his back pocket, handing it over to Orihime.

"Is that even allowed?" Tatsuki wondered, a teasing smile on her face.

"As long as they don't see each other before the wedding, there's no harm, right?" Lurichiyo said with a nod. "So what does it say, Orihime?"

Orihime opened the small note.

_I can't wait to be married to you. _

_I.K._

And just with that note, all of the stress she'd been feeling about this whole thing drained away and only one thing remained.

She smiled, trying to hold back her tears but failing. "Renji, do you have a pen?"

"I had a feeling you'd ask me that," he replied, taking a pen out of his chest pocket and giving it to her.

_I can't wait to be married to you either._

_Orihime Kurosaki._

* * *

"That suit really looks good on you, son."

Putting the final knots in his white satin ruche tie, Ichigo glanced at the reflection of his father who was standing behind him. "Thank you."

"She would've been proud of you, you know that don't you?"

Ichigo looked himself over a last time and then closed the buttons of his white tuxedo. "I know, dad," he whispered, taking the note he got back from Renji earlier from the dresser on his right. He read Orihime's answer a last time before pocketing it.

"And it goes without saying that I feel the same," Isshin continued, approaching him to place a hand on his shoulder.

Ichigo smiled at him and rolled his eyes in embarrassment.

"But you know what makes me even more proud? It's the fact that you managed to trick a gorgeous girl like Orihime into being part of our family!"

Ichigo drew his head back and head butted him. He almost expected for his old man to say something stupid, it was like an automatism with that guy. Why should he have expected anything else? Even on this day?

"It wasn't a trick, you loser!" he grumbled with an annoyed glare in his direction. "I wouldn't be marrying her if it was a trick! You better refrain from saying stuff like that again today, or I swear to God that I'll ban you from this wedding!"

"There's no need to be this harsh, Ichigo!" Isshin complained with one hand over his left eye.

Ichigo sighed and turned towards the mirror again, feeling the jitters coming up again. "I don't have time for this. Just tell me if I can count on you later."

Isshin stood up again, this time with a solemn expression on his face. "You can, son."

"Ok, thanks," he whispered, his voice cracking up a bit.

Isshin placed both his hands on his shoulders now and looked at his son in the mirror. "It's going to be fine, Ichigo."

Ichigo watched his father exit the small room then and couldn't help the small excited, yet nervous grin that grew on his lips when he glanced at his watch.

"45 minutes left."

* * *

The veil was now fixed to her tiara and every last one of the tiers draped perfectly over one and other. The chapel train of her dress matched the one attached to the veil and was laid out behind her on the floor. Her hair was falling over her naked shoulders and her hands held a bouquet made of white roses and lilies.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Orihime. That dress looks so good on you."

Orihime smiled at Rukia who looked almost as nervous as she did. The dress was a snow white, strapless trumpet dress with a chapel train and empire waist with satin band and bow under her right breast, elongating her soft, sultry figure. It was made out of a mixture of tulle layered with patterned lace, only adding to the sensuality of the dress and the romantic of the day.

"Are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself for the umpteenth time, Orihime nodded, unconsciously tightening her grip on Isshin's arm who was going to give her away.

"Don't be so anxious, you'll only make me more nervous; I'm supposed to look cool walking a hottie like you down the aisle!" Isshin said with a soft smile.

Orihime laughed and whispered her thanks.

They were standing right around the corner from the great doors leading to the gala room, awaiting those first notes that would announce their entry.

Orihime looked ahead of her to her friends standing in front of her; to her bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids and adorable flower girl, to the three handsome groomsmen wearing identical black tuxedos with violet vests and ruche ties and then to Ichigo's father holding her trembling, gloved right hand in the crook of his elbow.

She would remember this day for the rest of her life.

Yumichika, who was standing in front of the procession, gave them the thumbs up with tears in his eyes before going around the corner and opening the doors.

He gave Karin and Yuzu the 'ok' and off they went, each holding a bouquet of pink and purple lilies to match those held by each of the bridesmaids.

Rukia and Renji who were next exchanged a soft kiss before it was their turn to go. Tatsuki and Uryuu followed soon after and then finally Rangiku and Chad.

A few moments passed and then the music in the room changed and Yumichika gave Yachiru a sign. She began to disperse the violet and pink petals of roses on the floor gracefully and made her way around the corner and into the large room.

And then the beginning of the Bridal chorus was played and Yumichika only nodded once with his hands clasped against his chest and a proud smile on his face. "They're ready for you now."

Orihime nodded and looked up at Isshin a last time. He nodded back and they began to walk that long road down the aisle.

* * *

Everybody was there; all the captains and lieutenants from soul society, the officers they befriended over the years, the Shiba Clan, the Vizards, the Kasumiôji Clan, Urahara and his following, Yoruichi, Nell and many, many others. There were easily over a hundred present.

As he stood near the altar, waiting for the ceremony to start, Ichigo let his eyes go over the colorful crowd, feeling more and more anxious as the minutes crawled by.

When finally the doors opened and he saw his sisters walking down the pink and violet decorated aisle with big smiles on their faces, he couldn't but smirk back and grin when Karin put her thumbs up furtively before sitting herself next to Yuzu on the left end of the front row. They both looked so pretty with their hair done up in buns with dark roses in them to match their dresses.

And then Rukia and Renji came down the aisle, both glowing and smiling at those present. He wondered if they'd told Byakuya yet about their own wedding plans. Rukia looked beautiful in her dress with her hair done up in a loose, yet sophisticate hairstyle. It was obvious that Renji couldn't keep his eyes off of her. They arrived at the end of the aisle and both took their respective places on each side of the altar as maid of honor and best man; Renji left from Ichigo and Rukia right from where Orihime was going to stand.

By then Tatsuki and Uryuu were making their trip down the aisle looking surprisingly good together; Tatsuki more feminine than ever in her dress with Uryuu holding her right hand in the crook of his elbow.

Rangiku and Chad followed not too soon after; Rangiku having adopted a more toned down look with her long light blond hair done in an elegant to the side low ponytail that curled softly at the end. Sado, who never wore a tux in his life, looked amazingly good in the black-white-violet combo of his attire, holding on to Rangiku's hand in the crook of his arm like a true gentleman.

Once the bridesmaids and the groomsmen had taken their places on each side of the altar, Yachiru made her way down the aisle, throwing pink and violet petals on the floor around her from her cute little basket. Ichigo chuckled at how adorable she looked and silently laughed when he saw Kenpachi grin at her gently, looking as if she was seeing his little daughter.

And then the classical musical that had been playing quieted down and the bridal march was put on.

All the guests rose and turned to the entrance.

It was in that moment that his heart threatened to explode when he first laid his eyes on her.

* * *

Her heart was going to explode; it was beating so fast!

If it hadn't been for Isshin, she was sure that her knees would've given out on her by now. The room was gorgeously decorated, just like she'd hoped for it to be, the view on the glittering lake behind the altar was phenomenal, the light of the afternoon sun in the distance making everything bathe in a golden glow.

All eyes were fixed on her; she could feel their stares piercing through her veil. Whispers and soft gasps sounded around her and she could only hope for them to be good signs. Looking up at Isshin for reassurance, she smirked back when he winked at her, setting her at ease.

Ichigo was standing there, waiting for her, looking more handsome than ever in his all white tuxedo, seemingly glowing in the light of the sun, getting closer with every step she took.

When finally Isshin let go of her hand and she took place in front of Ichigo near the altar, all the anxiety melt away as they locked eyes and Ichigo took a step closer to remove her veil.

"You take my breath away," he whispered to her, his awe reflected in his eyes.

She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. "I love you."

The guests sat back down when the celebrant made a hand gesture and the couple joined hands, still staring at each other.

The ceremony was short, simple and yet very touching especially when the time for the vows came at hand.

"_Marriage begins in the giving of words. You cannot join yourselves to one another without giving your word. And this must be an unconditional giving, for in joining yourselves to one another you join yourselves to the unknown. Marriage is not meant for happiness alone, but for the growth and enrichment of character and for the support and respect you give to one another. To this end, there must be a consecration of each to the other and of both to a purposeful and compassionate life. It is in this spirit that you have come here today._

_Ichigo, Orihime, if you have prepared vows for one and other, please share them with us. Ichigo?"_

Looking back at her with a soft smile, Ichigo let his heart speak for itself.

"I promise to love you, Orihime, and respect you from this point forward as your husband. As my wife, my lover, my friend and my soul mate, all I am is yours. I vow to protect you and to cherish you each and every day."

Soft gasps and muffled sniffles could be heard coming from the crowd witnessing the exchange. It only solidified the fact that this, to the both of them, was so right.

The celebrant turned to Orihime. _"Orihime?"_

Taking a short shaky breath, and looking him deeply in the eyes, she whispered; "I vow to honor, to love and cherish you each and every day, through all the seasons of life, the good times and the bad. I am proud and blessed to be your wife. Ichigo… I was born to love you and I always will."

The emotions were building and it was getting harder to keep the tears at bay. They could hear some of the guests clapping, but they kept focusing on each other, lost in their own little world.

"_And now for the exchange of rings. The couple will now explain the significance of these bands that will unite them both in life and in their love."_

Orihime turned towards Rukia and Ichigo turned towards Renji to retrieve the rings from them. Orihime gave Rukia her bouquet and turned to Ichigo who turned to her again.

"_Ichigo, if you please."_

Ichigo took a steadying breath and reached out for her left hand and slid the silver band over her ring finger. "With this ring, which symbolizes my love and undying devotion to you, I thee wed."

Cheer and applause rose from the crowd.

Ichigo and Orihime laughed at each other, Ichigo reaching out for her face to gently wipe away a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"_Orihime?"_

She sniffled and nodded, taking the ring she held between the fingers of both her hands. "With this ring, which symbolizes my love and undying devotion to you, I thee wed." She took his left hand and slid the silver band on the right finger.

More applause and encouraging cheers broke the silence.

"_With these words of profound meaning, may you look back many, many years from now on this day and be able to say that "With you, I have lived the life I always wanted to live. With you, I have become the person I always longed to be.'_

_By the powers invested in me; it is now my greatest pleasure to announce you husband and wife._

_You may kiss the bride!"_

With a grin Ichigo framed her face with his hands and moved in to kiss her. Their lips connected and the crowd erupted again with acclamations.

"_I now present to you; Orihime and Ichigo Kurosaki!" _

They shared another kiss before turning to receive the applause from their guests. They then walked back down the aisle, showered in praise and congratulatory words and encouraging pads on their shoulders.

"Let's make a run for it!" Ichigo whispered to her, squeezing her hand excitedly.

Orihime laughed and squeezed back, gathering her dress with her other hand before breaking into a run with him passed the doors. Once they were standing in the hall, Ichigo swooped her up into his arms and kissed her again, spinning around in the momentum of their run while the doors closed behind them again. 


	2. Chapter 2

**_Taking that long road (2/2)

* * *

_**

The sun was setting behind the hills in the distance.

The zipper rolled down the long her back and she bit her lower lip when he pulled the dress down her skin, pressing a soft kiss against her left shoulder. She turned her head to meet his lips when he stroked her hair back and out of the way. His hands then reached inside her dress and grabbed her by her hips, lifting her out of the gown and carrying her backwards towards the couch where he sat down with her straddling his hips.

"We're supposed to be getting dressed for the party…" She whispered against his lips, sighing when his hand slid down lower over her hips and caressed her naked thighs. "We don't have time for this…"

He smirked and watched her as she moaned his name, arching her back. "Then why don't you stop?"

"Me stop?" she murmured, sliding her hands into his hair and locking eyes. "You started it…"

He pressed a kiss against her right left breast, one finger teasingly going over the rim of the padded, white strapless bra she was still wearing. "I couldn't help myself… and that's your fault…"

Orihime watched him lick the skin of her breast and then kiss it hungrily, his finger steadily pushing the fabric of the bra down until her nipple peeked out and he took it into his mouth, moaning in time with her quivering gasps.

She reached in between them with one hand skillfully, unbuttoning and unzipping his white pants. "Could you help me out a bit?" she breathed, rising up on her knees.

Ichigo lifted his hips up so she could pull his pants down just enough to pull his erection out. "I hope you're not too attached to this…"

Before she could even begin to understand what he was doing, he'd ripped her flimsy lace thong apart. "Ichigo—!"

He smirked when she giggled naughtily and then moved in to kiss her, long and hard. "Would you mind helping me out?"

She smiled, "Like this, my dear husband?" she purred, rubbing up against him before putting him in the right position and sliding down onto him with a drawn out moan.

Ichigo growled in response and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "Oh, I'm a very very lucky man to be able to call you 'my wife'…"

"You should feel lucky…" she whispered against his lips with a giggle, "There are a lot of perks that come with me being your wife…"

Ichigo kissed her between her breasts and smirked, "There are, huh?"

She chuckled when he attacked her throat playfully and yelped when he started to tickle her.

But it wasn't long before her laughs and giggles turned into more sensual gasps and moans.

* * *

The long crystal earrings were put on as a finishing touch to her ensemble.

She looked herself over a last time in the mirror and then decided for herself that it would have to do. She'd never worn something like this before, but she did like the way it gave her a more… womanly appearance.

Rukia opened the door to the bathroom and stepped into the bedroom she shared with Renji. She sat herself on the end of the bed to put on the black pumps that lay readily on the carpeted floor.

"Hey, Rukia? Ichigo and Orihime are to appear in the tent in 20 minutes, we have— to…"

Renji stopped dead in his words and just stared from where he stood in the doorway, an appreciative eyebrow raised at her appearance.

"I'm almost done, Renji. I only need to slip these on and we're good to go…" she fell silent at the lack of sound coming from him and looked up, one leg still draped over a knee as she tied the ankle straps of her left pump together. "What?"

"How fast can you undress and re-dress?"

Rukia chuckled and shook her head, crossing her right leg over her left one. "I assume you like?"

Renji kneeled in front of her and nuzzled her smooth shin. "Rukia…" he only whispered. He picked up the other pump and slid it onto her foot before tying the straps around her ankle.

She lowered her leg and reached out for his face, wanting for him to look at her. He moved up and let her pull him into a gentle kiss. "I'm afraid it'll be hard for big brother to not notice how we feel about each other…"

He rubbed the tips of their noses together with a smile. "I don't think I'll be able to not look at you tonight, Rukia. You're so beautiful… I'll properly tell him tomorrow, once we're back in Soul Society," he promised.

Rukia cradled his face in her hands and shook her head. "We'll tell him together."

Renji nodded and she smiled.

"Do you know when you're going to perform?"

Rukia shook her head and then stood, taking a second to balance herself on the high heels. "No."

Renji smirked as he watched her walk over to her purse lying on the desk by the opposing wall. "You seem to have gotten the hang of that."

"The walking?" she said, picking up her purse, "5 hours of shopping with Rangiku on high heels and the art of walking in pumps holds no secrets for me anymore!"

Renji laughed and moved to stand behind her, wrapping his right arms over her shoulders and kissing her left cheek. "Good, because I would love for you to take these back with us to Soul Society; they're smockin hot!"

Rukia laughed and kissed him back.

* * *

Nightfall was approaching quickly as the sun disappeared behind the horizon in the distance, the silence of the domain surrounding the castle broken by music coming from the enormous party tent planted by the side of the lake. A pathway illuminated by numerous archways provided with glittering lights showed the way to the tent from the main entrance of the castle.

Yumichika was standing in the big hall, pacing up in down nervously, his shiny black shoes click-clacking on the marble floor as he went from one side of the space to the other, his elegant white silk scarf whipping around his neck with every one of his turns.

Ikkaku rolled his eyes from where he was leaning against a nearby wall. "You're going to walk a hole in the floor."

"They're late!" Yumichika exploded, "Almost all the guests are seated and they are supposed to make their big entrée in 5 minutes! Where the hell are they?!"

"Ever thought about the fact that maybe Orihime and Ichigo just needed some 'extra time' together?" Ikkaku said disinterestedly, picking at a hangnail on his left thumb.

"Oh my god! You think they consumed their wedding already?!"

Ikkaku gave his partner a 'well duh'- look.

"Argh, goddammit!" Yumichika exclaimed, his hands grabbing his head in horror. "She's going to mess up her hair! They both are!"

Ikkaku rolled his eyes and pushed away from the wall. "They've had over 3 hours, I'm sure they've had enough time to make themselves decent again." He then saw Rangiku and Chad descending the left side stairs.

"Rangiku, Chad! Finally!" Yumichika said with a theatrical gesture of his arms.

Now wearing a short, black, a-line halter dress with a silver sequined border running the long her impressive cleavage, Rangiku threw her loose, straightened hair back with a hand while the other held on to Chad's arm. Chad, as it was decided for all groomsmen, now wore black pants and a tucked-in black shirt with the top buttons loose.

"Tatsuki and Ishida are comin'," he said once they finished descending the large set of stairs.

"We're the first ones here?" Rangiku wondered, looking around. She then winced when her eyes fell on the big clock on top of the heavy double doors that made the entrance of the castle.

"Yes, exactly!" Yumichika uttered reprimandingly.

"Well, I can't blame Ichigo and Orihime, they've probably taken the time to satisfy their urges; they could barely stay off of each other when we were taking pictures," she said with a shrug.

"What I said," Ikkaku added, grinning when he saw Yumichika's aggravated glare.

Uryuu and Tatsuki then appeared on the large landing of the U-shaped stair.

"I hope we're not too late?" Uryuu said with a gallant smile, hair now slicked back. Tatsuki was hanging on his right arm, also wearing a short, black a-line dress. Hers was at the base a strapless dress with a silver sequined shoulder strap that ran from underneath her right breast to her left shoulder and to the middle of her naked back where it connected with her dress again. Her hair was also slicked back smoothly with a sophisticated bang that went in a wave to the side of her face.

"Any word from the others?" Tatsuki wondered, looking around.

"We're still waiting on them," Rangiku stated.

"Won't be long now," Chad reassuringly assumed with a nod.

"Oh God, finally!" Yumichika sighed in relief when the two last couples descended each a stair, joining each other on landing. Isshin and his daughters followed behind Ichigo and Orihime. The patriarch of the family had changed the color of his tie and inner vest, both black now. Karin and Yuzu had changed clothes as well and wore short, matching black, tea length dresses. They descended first, one girl on every side of Isshin.

Renji kissed the side of Rukia's head and she laughed silently as they descended the last stair, holding hands. Renji had loosened his hair and groomed it into a silky red mane that fell on either side of his face. Soft curls framed Rukia's and a black decorative flower rested behind her right ear. Her dress was a short, black, pleated trapeze dress with a silver sequined choker that held it together.

Ichigo and Orihime descended the stairs at last and it was Orihime's dress that drew the most gasps from the small group. None of them had known what she'd chosen to wear for the party, the dress being the only thing she'd completely chosen on her own.

It was a soft pink, mullet dress with a strapless bodice and a skirt made of multiple layers of tulle. The longer layers dragged on the floor behind her, and on the small of her back was a giant bow with flowers made out of tulle, giving the dress more volume in the back. Her hair was still made in loose curls that now cascaded over her right shoulder. Ichigo was still in white, but he'd lost the inner vest and the ruche tie, changed shirts and left the top buttons open. In contrast to his groomsmen he still wore his jacket.

"Magnificent!" Yumichika exclaimed. "You guys look so gorgeous!" he clapped in his hands and sighed happily. "My compliments on the dress, Orihime! Daring, yet so fashionable!"

Orihime grinned, "Thank you, Yumichika." She then looked at her friends, "You guys all look good!"

"Thank you, but we don't matter tonight," Ishida told her, pushing his glasses up. "It's all about you, and I have to agree with Yumichika, Orihime. Very beautiful."

"Hey, speak for yourself, Ishida," Rangiku said, taking her mirror out of her little purse and checking up on her make-up, "I did not dress up to go unnoticed tonight," she closed the mirror and then added; "Though of course, it's all about Ichigo and Orihime."

"Well said, Rangiku!" Isshin smirked, grooming his hair carefully with both his hands. "There's no harm in stealing some of the spotlight!"

Orihime laughed and Ichigo shook his head with a smirk of his own. "Enough already…" he sighed with a smile.

"So then, since we're all here, can we go?" Renji asked.

"It's time to party!" Tatsuki said excitedly.

"Yeah!"

"Alright, then let's go!" Ichigo took his bride by the hand began walking towards the doors.

"I'll race ya, Ichigo!" Isshin challenged.

"You're on! The both of you!" Renji added, moving into position.

"What the _HELL_ do you morons think you're doing?!" Yumichika shrieked, his face horror struck.

They all skittered to a halt and turned around cautiously. "What?!"

Yumichika placed two fingers on the bridge of his nose, muttering to himself. "Everybody in a double file line! You will not barge into the tent like raving maniacs! Kurosaki-san and the girls in the front, Ichigo and Orihime in the back!"

They all did as told, some more begrudgingly than others.

"Dude," Ichigo whispered to Ikkaku as he passed him, "Try and keep him in check will ya?"

Ikkaku smirked back, "Hey, just because you got some earlier today, doesn't mean I want to pass on getting some later."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and Orihime laughed behind her hand.

"Can we go now?" Ichigo whined from his spot at the end of the line a few moments later.

Yumichika gave Ikkaku a nod and he walked out of the open doors and down the stairs in the direction of the tent on the right side of the castle.

"Ok, let's go."

Just as they passed Yumichika at the entrance, Orihime let go of Ichigo's hand and stepped up to Yumichika to hug him. "Thank you so much for all your hard work, Yumichika."

Yumichika grinned in her embrace and hugged back. "But the day isn't over yet, dear Orihime."

She let go of him and took back Ichigo's hand. "Nothing can ruin this day anymore." She looked up at Ichigo and he nodded. "We're both eternally grateful, Yumichika."

"Yeah, thank you so much," Ichigo said.

Yumichika was blushing by then and waved their praise away with a small bashful hand. "Oh you guys…"

Ichigo and Orihime smiled at each other and then exited in turn, catching up to Renji and Rukia who were waiting up for them at the bottom of the outdoor stairs.

* * *

Kenpachi sat himself down at the bar and ordered himself a whisky, an annoyed glare on his face.

"Don't be mad, Ken-chan! It's Captain Soifon who ordered for the special task force to stay on patrol on the grounds. And that Hollow was small fry anyway!" Yachiru merrily said, plopping down on the chair next to him and grabbing her fruit juice from the bar.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "I still wanted to have some fun though."

"But you promised Retsu-mommy not to rip your clothes, Ken-chan!" she said reprimandingly. "She'll get mad if you do!"

"Shut up, I wouldn't have ripped my clothes anyway on small fry! And stop calling her Retsu-mommy, she's not your mother."

"But Ken-chan, when are you going to admit that you like her!"

"Yachiru!"

She giggled and jumped off her seat, snatched her drink from the bar and then disappeared into the crowd.

Kenpachi watched her go and despite himself, couldn't quite hide the smile that curved his lips above his glass.

He had to admit though that Retsu looked good in that back-less, long black dress.

* * *

"That was a beautiful ceremony."

Captain Kyouraku took a sip from his drink and nodded. "Aah, Ichigo marrying Orihime-chan was something we couldn't have missed."

Ukitake smiled and sat back in his seat. "I'd never been to a real world wedding before." He looked around at the decorations in the tent. From the white/gold centerpieces on each table to the huge flower pieces on every corner of the room and by every exit; everything matched the soft golden glow the many ground lamps shone against the white, dressed walls of the tent. The candles on each table added to the romantic atmosphere.

There were two large, round, empty tables by the dance floor that were reserved for, he presumed, the bride, groom and their following. A stage was set up and on it were some strange apparatus that he'd never seen before.

People were talking and laughing all around them, all dressed their best. It'd been a while since he and Kyouraku came here and that they'd needed gigais to move around in. They'd been forced to buy some new clothes for this event as well because the formal clothes they still had that could fit in the real world were rather… outdated in this day and age.

"Jushiro, what kind of music do you think they'll be playing?" Kyouraku asked as he watched Nanao strike up a conversation with Lisa at the Vizard's table.

"I don't know," Ukitake replied, following his friend's gaze and smiling to himself. "Probably whatever is popular these days… why, do you plan on dancing?"

"Perhaps…"

Ukitake grinned and shook his head, took a sip of his cider and noticed a young man with shoulder length brown hair take the stage and stand behind one of those long black sticks. He tapped on the shorter black stick in front of his face a few times and strangely enough the sound echoed through the entire room.

"Ah, they're microphones!" Ukitake said, understanding. "Hmm… interesting design."

The other captain chuckled, "Kurotsuchi is already having a field day with the amount of technology we've encountered."

"I can imagine…"

"_Ladies and gentlemen, dear family and friends. On behalf of the Kurosaki and the Inoue family we welcome you to this reception in honor of Ichigo and Orihime."_

Applause and whistling rained down in the room.

"_I've just been told that they've finally finished changing clothes, so if they're ready out there, I would like to welcome them in!"_

The photographers hired to take pictures throughout the day were avidly taking photos of the incoming procession, flashes were going off everywhere, making it hard to see.

"Aah, what a wonderful thing youth is…" Kyouraku sighed as he watched the group sit at the large table. "Sado-kun and Rangiku-san look well together and I want to bet that this wedding has given Renji-kun and little Rukia enough ideas for their own. Does Byakuya know that his lieutenant and his sister are dating?"

"No, they were rather apprehensive about telling him, which I can understand," Ukitake said.

"Though status shouldn't be a problem anymore since Renji-kun is a lieutenant?"

Nodding in agreement, Ukitake added; "There must be something else keeping them from telling Byakuya. Though I don't think that they've done a good job trying to hide it…"

Kyouraku grinned, "You saw it during the ceremony too?"

"If we did, then Byakuya must've picked up on it too," Ukitake answered and then moved to stand as did many of the guests when the married couple was next to enter.

Kyouraku looked at the Captain of the 6th Squad sitting alone with his Chamberlain at a table near the dance floor. "He doesn't seem to be aggravated or anything…"

Ukitake shrugged, "Who knows with that guy?"

"_Ladies and gentlemen, dear family and friends; I present to you: Mr and Mrs Ichigo Kurosaki!"

* * *

_

"Oh my God, this place looks so good, Ichigo…" Orihime gasped with an excited giggle, holding on to Ichigo's arm, intertwining their fingers.

Ichigo grinned and kissed the crown of her head. "They've done a great job… I'm so glad you love this."

"I love this, because I'm with you," she whispered back, lifting herself on the tip of her toes and kissing him on his lips.

"Love you," he mouthed back. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and they walked onto the dance floor.

"_There's one more surprise for you guys,"_ Keigo said from behind the microphone.

They looked at their friend with confused faces. "What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked.

"_I know you were supposed to dance to this particular song, but Rukia Kuchiki has agreed to sing it to you while you're dancing."_

All eyes turned to Rukia who stood up from her seat with a small smile.

"Rukia?" Orihime whispered, completely surprised.

"Rukia, you…?" Ichigo began, but fell silent, too overwhelmed to speak.

"Go knock 'em dead, beautiful," Renji whispered, smiling up at her.

Rukia grinned back and walked up to the couple. "You guys, just enjoy yourself, ok? Let this be my gift to you." she walked away from them and stepped onto the stairs leading to the stage under a rain of applause.

Ichigo stepped up to his wife and slid his right hand around her waist and took her right hand in his left. "Let's show them how good we got at this."

She let her left hand fingers glide over his shoulder and nodded.

The room fell silent and the lights around the dance floor got dimmed. The first piano notes of the ballad were played and they began to move, Rukia's soft soprano voice guiding them in their steps as they floated over the floor.

* * *

They ended their dance with a kiss, smiling tenderly at each other as their guests showered them once more with applause.

Keigo approached them then and gave Ichigo a microphone. He thanked his friend and then turned to the crowd in front of them. His free arm pulled Orihime closer and pressed a kiss against her forehead before turning to their guests.

"Orihime and I want to express how grateful we are of your presence here tonight. To know that our family and so many of our closest friends wanted to share this day with us means a lot."

There was some endeared sounds amidst the clapping and Orihime laughed when she watched her husband scratch the back of his head with a slight blush on his cheeks. She took the microphone over from him.

"We wouldn't be able to call this the happiest day of our lives without you all. So, please join us in our celebration and enjoy yourselves tonight!"

Everybody clapped their hands again and some whistled. The couple gave back the microphone to Keigo and went to join the rest of the Kurosaki family at the family table. Isshin clapped his son on his back when he stood out of respect for Orihime before sitting down again. Ichigo clapped him back on his shoulder and seated himself next to his wife.

"_Now that everybody is here and seated, we can go over the program of the night,"_ Keigo announced. _"The bar at the back will provide all of us with drinks for the whole night; ask the waiters for assistance should you need it."_

Orihime looked behind her to find Hanatarou standing behind them, dressed in a black and white waiter uniform. He nodded towards her and she smiled back.

"So you think he's our waiter for the night?" Ichigo whispered to her.

She turned back around her seat, her smile now a nervous one. "I'm afraid so, yeah."

"_Dinner will be served in half an hour and a buffet will be opened shortly after. After dinner the dance floor will be opened and the real party will begin, but until then, feel free to sign the guestbook, explore the domain, have your picture taken or just enjoy the atmosphere! I wish you all a pleasant evening and once again," _he turned to Ichigo and Orihime,_ "Congratulations you guys, it was about damn time!"_

There was some laughing and clapping and then some soft music was put on and the masses quieted down.

"So, if I had known it was going to be such a formal occasion, I would've taken out my tongue ring."

Ichigo looked up at his mentor, grinning. "Oh, Shinji, that would've been like asking you to not be obnoxious when you obviously won't even try not to be."

"Whoa, and here I thought I was welcome here!" The leader of the vizards joked, bending over to kiss the bride on her cheek.

"You are," Orihime said, smiling up at him. "We're so happy you're here. Are you and the others enjoying yourselves?"

Shinji raised his glass of champagne, "Yes, we are. Ichigo, you better hold on to this one, or I'm sure there are enough candidates around to pick up your slack."

"Remind me again why you came over here?" Ichigo said between clenched teeth.

"To wish you good luck in your marriage?"

Orihime grinned, amused by their antics. "And we thank you for your best wishes," she said, sliding her right hand on the table and using her fingers to unloosen Ichigo's clenched fist, intertwining their fingers. When she looked up at him, she found him smiling at her gratefully.

"Though come to think of it," Shinji said, having noticed the complicity between them, "you don't look like you need it."

Ichigo moved in and rubbed the tip of their noses together tenderly. "We don't," he whispered, watching her giggle happily, "but thanks anyway."

Shinji smirked and took another sip of his champagne, leaving them to kiss each other.

* * *

"You have a really good singing voice, Rukia. You really impressed us all."

Rukia beamed up at Rangiku. "Thanks," she said, blushing when Renji reached for her hand under the table.

"It'd be cool if we could rehearse together some time. I could accompany you on my guitar," Chad said, picking up his glass of soda.

"I'd love that," Rukia said, grinning.

"See, I told you they'd love it," Renji whispered, pushing his shoulder against hers. "Your voice is worth gold!"

They looked at each other and he smirked, giving their joined hands a squeeze.

"Renji."

The entire table looked up in surprise when they saw Byakuya suddenly standing next to them, his eyes resting on his sister.

Renji let go of her hand he was still holding and stood up for his captain. "Yes, captain?"

Byakuya's eyes let go of Rukia's. "May I have a word with you?"

"Byakuya, big brother—" Rukia started, moving to stand.

"Rukia, stay out of this," Byakuya calmly replied, still looking at Renji.

Renji looked at her and shook his head. "It's alright. We should've done this sooner anyway."

The worried frown on Rukia's face did not dissipate. "Renji—"

"It's going to be okay, trust me," he whispered back, following Byakuya out of the tent.

She sat back down with a fearful sigh and closed her eyes. She had no idea how her brother was going to take the news of her and Renji being together. They honestly hadn't want for him to find it out this way… What if they got into a fight? What if— Oh god, no…

"Are you alright?"

Rukia opened her eyes and found Orihime sitting next to her with a comforting smile.

"We saw what happened," Ichigo said, standing behind his wife, "Is it about you and—"

"He didn't say," Rukia whispered, shaking her head, "But what else could it be?"

"What can your brother do, anyway?" Tatsuki asked, a bit confused, "You guys love each other, he shouldn't come between that."

"No, you don't understand," Uryuu said, looking at Rukia. "The Kuchiki family is one of the four high noble families in Soul Society. Marriages are often done in between noble houses. Renji, even though he is a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, doesn't exactly have wealth necessary to 'bind' Rukia to him."

"You make it sound like she's some sort of cattle," Tatsuki whispered with a lopsided grin.

"No, he's right," Rangiku said with a sad smile, "Even if they love each other, Renji has next to nothing to offer the Kuchiki family."

"But Byakuya himself bent the rules when he married Rukia's sister!" Ichigo said.

Orihime took her friend's hands in hers and caressed them gently. "Do you think he'll want to bend those rules again?"

"For me?" Rukia whispered and then chuckled bitterly. "I don't know."

"Don't be so pessimistic, Rukia."

She looked up and found her captain looking down at her with a warm smile. "Captain Ukitake."

"Hello everyone," he greeted cheerfully and then turned to Ichigo and Orihime, "It was a truly beautiful ceremony, congratulations!"

"Thank you, Ukitake-san!" Ichigo replied with a nod.

Ukitake then kneeled next to his subordinate, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Byakuya is known to be cold, but even he can't be blind to what we all have seen earlier; he's not that cold. The decision is yours to make, Rukia. Not his."

She smiled at him, "Captain Ukitake…"

"You have a marvelous singing voice, Rukia," he continued, "I wouldn't mind hearing you sing again once we're back and that can only happen if you're in good spirits, so don't let things get you down, alright? I'm sure everything is going to be just fine."

"Yes, Captain," she nodded with a hopeful expression.

He padded her on her shoulder a last time and then stood again to walk away.

"He's a good man," Chad remarked.

"He really is," Rukia agreed before her eyes caught Byakuya walking back into the tent without Renji. She stood up from her chair and hurried her way to him, her heart beginning a panicked series of beats.

Byakuya saw her approaching and waited for her to reach him, his expression ever calm.

"Where is he?" she whispered quietly, trying very hard to keep the tears at bay.

"Walk with me, Rukia," he said, turning again and exiting.

She followed him outside, not knowing what else to do. "Big brother—"

Ikkaku, Shuhei and Kira suddenly rushed by her, all wearing their Shinigami attire.

"What's going on?" she wondered, looking around her.

"Hollows have appeared outside of the barrier Urahara set up, someone has to eliminate them otherwise they risk breaking through," Byakuya casually replied, continuing his stroll down the side of the lake.

"Is Renji—?"

"I asked him to go help out, yes."

All the stress flowed straight out of her and she sighed out in relief.

He turned and stopped to look at her and then smirked, staring at the glittering surface of the lake. "Do you see yourself marrying him?"

Shock coursed through her again like a vicious strike of thunder and she took a trembling breath. "I—"

"From the moment he helped you escape down Sougyokou Hill, I knew, Rukia," he said softly, "I knew of his true feelings for you. It wasn't up until today that my suspicions concerning yours were confirmed."

"We didn't want for you to find out this way, Big brother Byakuya, honest…"

He cast a sideway glance her way, his brows furrowed together in concern. "I understand why you did not tell me, Rukia, but I have settled with the fact that my opinion should have little to no impact on your final decision."

Rukia gasped in total surprise.

"So, I'm asking you again; do you see yourself marrying him?"

"I…" she whispered, smiling, "yes… I do."

Byakuya took in her answer and nodded to himself. He then turned around and began walking back to the tent. "Just let me know in time when the necessary preparations need to be started."

Rukia fell on her knees and grabbed him by his hand. She'd never felt more relieved in her life. "Thank you, big brother! Thank you so much!"

Byakuya looked at her and for a moment he saw Hisana, his late wife, kneeling there, thanking him in the same way like when he'd agreed to look for her sister. He smiled and helped her up again. "Only peasants kneel like that, Rukia. If you are to marry a vice-captain of the Gotei 13 you will have to learn how to act with more dignity."

She sniffled at that, her tears now running down her cheeks freely. This showed that Byakuya had a high opinion of Renji after all. "Yes, Byakuya, my brother."

He let go of her hands and walked on, disappearing into the tent a few moments later.

* * *

"Aah… it has been a long time since I tasted bourbon like this! Truly a delight!"

Ichigo grinned and followed suit; he emptied his short glass of bourbon in one swig, regretting it instantly a moment later. "Oh God…"

The captain commander burst out in joyful laughter and slammed his hand on Ichigo's back. "What did you think it was? Mere whiskey? No, you have to savor bourbon, boy!"

"Give the boy a break Yamma-jii, not everyone is a seasoned drinker like us," Shunsui spoke, downing his shot of whiskey in one drink.

Sasakibe was passed out drunk next to his Captain. The poor man didn't even touch his piece of wedding cake.

The dance floor was packed with people dancing and enjoying themselves. Their table was one of the few that were still crowded, most of the guests now wandering about the domain, the castle or dancing.

Byakuya was still sitting at his table, watching Renji and Rukia on the dance floor. They had no qualms about keeping their relationship under wraps anymore and the love and tenderness they shared for each other could be clearly seen in the way Renji held Rukia close with a hand against her lower belly and kissed her naked right shoulder softly.

Toushiro was standing by the bar with Karin sitting on a stool next to him, sipping from his soda and smiling to himself as he watched Hinamori and Kira interact with each other and Rangiku and Shuhei taking up most of the dance floor with their extravagant dancing.

"So, do you think you're ready for marriage, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo took a bite from his cake and nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I am."

The captain commander suddenly laughed loudly at that, waking up Sasakibe who shot upright in his seat with a panicked expression on his face. "A little wet behind the ears aren't we? That's what they all say in the beginning!"

Ichigo and Kyouraku exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

"If there's one skill I have never mastered in my 2000 years of existence, it's the one at being good with women…"

"Ohh come on, Yama-jii…" The eight division captain said, slightly embarrassed. "There have been plenty of women…"

The elderly man took another swig of his already empty glass and placed it back on the table. "There have, there have… I'm not ashamed to admit that I was a womanizer back in the good old days…" he then sighed sadly, "I've just never been able to find that one pearl…"

Even though it was a tad creepy and yet strangely captivating to watch, Ichigo somehow understood what the man was saying even without saying it.

Captain Yamamoto looked at him then and said; "You're now part of the lucky ones, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"I thought I heard you say that I was naïve for thinking I knew what I was getting myself into," Ichigo retorted with a small smirk.

"You are!" Yamamoto said in a more severe tone. "You never know what you're going to get and that's what makes it so hard to hold on to that special someone. But you already are lucky to have found her, that's what I said."

Ichigo contented himself with a polite nod as an answer and began to stand; the atmosphere at this table getting a little too heavy to his liking. He noticed Captain Kyouraku grinning at him from behind his glass, but just shook his head with a grin of his own and went searching for… well, no one in particular, really. He just needed to get the hell away from them.

He walked out of the tent and into the cool, nightly air. Countless stars shined up in the skies, the crescent moon coloring the scene ahead of him with a soft silver hue. On the benches lined up by the side of the lake on his right were many groups of people, some talking, others enjoying some privacy. The park on his far right was dark and silent, but he could sense many others wandering around in it, as well as the special task force that was on the lookout. He was glad that there hadn't been any grave incidents tonight, feeling endlessly grateful that all cared enough to give him this one Hollow-free night.

Well, almost Hollow-free.

"Do you want to know what my favorite part of the ceremony was?"

He turned around and found Nell standing there in her crème colored, one shoulder, Greek goddess-like dress. Her green locks were pulled up in a sophisticated ponytail. She looked amazing.

"Nell! Whoa…"

They walked up to each other and hugged. "Sorry I didn't come and see you earlier in the evening, I just didn't want to cause too much of a commotion."

"I'm just glad you came," he said, taking a step back. "Are you alone?"

She shrugged apologetically, "I arrived here last night for Orihime's bachelorette party. Pesche and Dondonchakka would only have caused trouble for you. It's easy for your human friends to accept your guests from Soul Society because they all came in gigais, but they wouldn't exactly have fitted in."

Ichigo watched her silently. He could sense her unease. "But if Urahara managed to make a gigai for you, without your mask—"

"That's not it— uhm. I wanted to come alone. I… Ichigo, you—"

He frowned, "What?"

She chuckled nervously behind her hand and then shook her head. "You know what my favorite part of the ceremony was?" she whispered, looking away from his confused face. "The part when you exchanged your vows. I could sense truth and determination behind them, from the both of you. I liked it a lot."

Something in the way she said those words made him sad for her and he reached out, "Nell…"

She quickly wiped away a stray tear from her right eye and giggled. "I'm just so happy for you, Ichigo. For you and Orihime. You make each other happy, it's obvious."

He pulled her in his arms and held her close. "Thank you, Nell. Thank you so much."

Nell nodded and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek.

"You look beautiful tonight," he whispered in her ear and felt her smile.

"Thank you, Ichigo," she whispered back before letting go. She then turned around and went back inside.

Nell didn't need to say it; Ichigo knew.

And it was probably best left unsaid anyway.

* * *

"Did you ever imagine those two…?"

It was somewhere around 3 in the morning now and the party was beginning to unwind quietly. Orihime giggled from her spot against Ichigo's chest at their table. Her naked feet were resting comfortably on the chair next to her, her pumps lying discarded on the floor beneath them. "What about those two!"

They were watching the dance floor and the couples slow dancing on it. There was Captain Kyouraku and Nanao dancing; he was holding her close to him with his chin resting on her head and a soft expression on his face. Captain Ukitake was dancing with Nell; her stigmata not quite hiding the blush that covered her cheeks, but his soft smile saying enough for the both of them. Yoruichi and Urahara were making slow circles around themselves, both lost in a world that was entirely their own. Soifon was standing by the wall at the other side of the room in her baby blue floral dress, shooting daggers with her eyes at Urahara. Rangiku and Shuhei were dancing, or rather stumbling on their feet, both slightly drunk and Shuhei half asleep with his face in between her breasts. Kira and Hinamori were softly talking with each other as they moved to the music, smiling at each other gently with suspicious blushes on their faces. Kenpachi was grinning down nervously at Captain Unohana, who giggled amusedly and tightened the timid grip he had on her naked lower back. At a table on the other side of the room sat Toushiro and Karin, laughing over glasses of soft drinks and half eaten plates of wedding cake and it didn't go unnoticed to Ichigo or Orihime how Toushiro stared at her in an enthralled manner every time Karin laughed.

Ichigo pressed a kiss on top of Orihime's head and smiled when she reached with her right hand to his face, caressing his cheek tenderly. "I'm feeling like continuing what we started earlier…" she whispered, sitting up and placing her feet back on the floor. A mischievous grin grew on her face when she turned to look at him.

He smirked back at her, "I do think it's high time for that too…"

Orihime nodded and stood, reaching out a hand for him.

Isshin smiled up at them and winked at his son, Yuzu asleep in his arms. "Goodnight."

Renji smirked at them too and gave a short nod, careful not to wake Rukia asleep against him. "See you later on."

"Where are Ishida and Chad?" Ichigo asked, looking around.

"Outside with the rest of the gang," Renji replied. "But don't worry about them, just go."

They smiled at their friend before intertwining fingers and crossing the dance floor, saying their goodbyes to those still dancing.

Once they were back inside the brightly lit hall of the castle, Ichigo swooped her up in his arms again and kissed her, silencing her giggles and walking them up the stairs.

"I could get used to this," Orihime whispered, "Better enjoy it while I still can."

Ichigo stopped in his steps at that. "Does that mean you asked Unohana?"

Orihime nodded and smiled, positively glowing. "It's like we'd hoped."

He grinned hesitantly. "R-really? I'm…?"

She placed her left hand on her underbelly, bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah."

Ichigo shouted his happiness, but soon silenced himself when he realized that some of their guests were already asleep in the many rooms of the castle.

"Keep you excitement for the bedroom, daddy," she giggled.

"You've made the happiest man alive, you know that?"

She looked at him for a long time, seeing the man she'd always loved in those brown eyes. "If you're the happiest man, then I am the happiest woman."

He kissed her. "Let's go practice for number two, then."

Her laughs echoed through the castle, a sound that he never again wanted to live without. 


End file.
